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Trucking Tops List of Toll Road Scofflaws

The Illinois Tollway has posting a list of toll scofflaws on its website following Gov. Pat Quinn signing legislation allowing the tollway authority to publish the names of toll violators owing $1,000 or more.

The list includes 47 businesses who owe less than $5,000, 36 who owe from $5,000 to $9,999, 34 who owe $10,000 to $24,999, 17 who owe $25,000 to $49,999, 15 who owe $50,000 to $99,999 and eight who owe $100,000 or more.

The Illinois Tollway says it has contacted each of these violators at least nine times and offered them multiple opportunities to enter into a settlement agreement, including the option to use a payment plan to settle their debts.

The tollway has also started to work with the Illinois Comptroller’s office to withhold tax refunds from some the agency’s most egregious violators.

"Tolls are a significant source of revenue for maintaining and improving our region’s transportation system, and our board understands that every dollar counts,” said Tollway Board chair Paula Wolff.

A year ago the tollway launched a crackdown on toll scofflaws by filing administrative judgments against them in court. Through this initiative it has filed 187 administrative judgments and collected nearly $500,000.

The list will be updated quarterly and currently includes more than 150 businesses that the tollway has filed lawsuits against in circuit court, as well as an estimated dollar amount for each. In all, the scofflaws owe the Tollway nearly $3.7 million.

The Illinois Tollway is a user-funded system that receives no state or federal funding for maintenance and operations.